Happy Motoring

I am always confronted by many customers as to whether they should or should not have their 60,000 mile service done on their vehicle. All too often my customers complain they receive conflicting ans w e r s and pricing depending on the person or shops they ask. This becomes very frustrating for many of them. To help ease the frustration let me sort through a few things. The Manufacturer recommends you have your vehicles checked or (serviced) in a range of mileage that you drive. Let’s look at the first recommendation, the 30,000 mileage check. On most vehicles this would be a checkup. If you change your oil regularly and the mechanic is checking many of these items during the oil change, then most likely you will not need many of the items on the list. But if you do not, this is a great time for the mechanic to check the vehicle and notify you what needs some attention. As for the 60,000 mile check up now here is where a few things must be changed. Most of the vehicles today no longer have a timing chain, they use a Timing Belt. This belt is made of rubber similar to a drive belt which you can view in the engine compartment. The timing belt is hidden.

I previously wrote about a timing belt change on a Toyota Camry and a young female customer assisted in the replacement so she could understand what her car was made of. This belt is crucial in the operation of the engine. It keeps the upper and lower part of the engine in time. On some vehicles, if it breaks before replacement, then it can cause severe damage to the engine and costly repairs. So, I recommend you always change your timing belt as instructed by your manufacturer. As my grandmother always told me, an ounce of medicine is worth a pound of cure. In this case the medicine is changing the belt when recommended. The young student I previously wrote about was quite surprised when she saw her timing belt and how little was left when she removed it. So doing your regular maintenance does Pay off.